Socio-demographic and medical factors associated with patients' satisfaction with nursing care and their perception of pain.

Abstract

Patient satisfaction with nursing care is one of important indicators of health care quality. As for pain, it is an indicator of patient health. The goal of the study is to identify socio-demographic and medical factors that differentiate the assessment of satisfaction with nursing care of hospitalized patients. The study involved performing a diagnostic survey using standardized instruments, i.e. the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale (NSNS) and the Visual Analog Scale by Barbara J. Headley for pain scoring. The study included 205 patients hospitalized for lumbar pain syndrome on two neurosurgery wards in Poland. The mean patient age was 51 years. Most respondents declared having high school or vocational education. The mean time of hospitalization before the study was 2 days. The results demonstrated that patient satisfaction with nursing care is independent of patient age, education, duration of hospitalization, or number of hospitalizations. In contrast, the experience of nursing care is dependent on education, and less educated patients (primary or vocational education) had higher scores in this category. With regards to pain, it was perceived as more intense by women and by patients hospitalized for a shorter period of time. Satisfaction with nursing care among patients with lumbar pain syndrome does not depend on socio-demographic or medical variables. Experience of nursing care depends on patient's education.